Editing Golf course (section)

{{short description|Series of holes designed for the game of golf}}
{{other uses}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2017}}
[[File:Golf course Golfplatz Wittenbeck Mecklenburg Ostsee Baltic Sea Germany.jpg|thumb|260px|Aerial view of a golf course (''Golfplatz [[Wittenbeck]]'' at the [[Baltic Sea]], [[Germany]])]]
A '''golf course''' is the grounds on which the sport of [[golf]] is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a [[teeing ground|tee box]], a [[#Fairway and rough|fairway]], the [[#Fairway and rough|rough]] and other [[hazard (golf)|hazards]], and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". The cup holds a flagstick, known as a "pin". A standard round of golf consists of 18 holes,<ref name=SGH18/> and as such most courses contain 18 distinct holes; however, there are many 9-hole courses and some that have holes with shared fairways or greens. There are also courses with a non-standard number of holes, such as 12 or 14.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.golfchannel.com/article/golf-channel-digital/do-12-hole-golf-courses-have-chance|title=Do 12-hole golf courses have a chance | date=18 August 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414153002/https://www.golfchannel.com/article/golf-channel-digital/do-12-hole-golf-courses-have-chance|archive-date=2021-04-14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bosshunting.com.au/travel/barnbougle-golf-bougle-run-short-course|title=Barnbougle Opens 'Bougle Run': A Stunning 14-Hole Short Course| last1=Lu | first1=Garry| date=14 April 2021}}</ref>

The vast majority of golf courses have holes of varying length and difficulties that are assigned a standard score, known as [[Par (score)|par]], that a proficient player should be able to achieve; this is usually three, four or five strokes. Par-3 courses consist of holes all of which have a par of three. Short courses have gained in popularity; these consist of mostly par 3 holes, but often have some short par 4 holes.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/01/realestate/golf-short-courses-families.html|title=Short Courses Are Gaining Favor With Golfing Families|work=[[The New York Times]]| date=1 April 2022}}</ref>

Many older courses are [[links (golf)|links]], often [[coast]]al. The first golf courses were based on the topography of sand dunes and dune slacks with a ground cover of grasses, exposed to the wind and sea.<ref>{{Cite web|last=European Institute of Golf Course Architects (EIGCA)|date=2017|title=Golf Courses as Designed Landscapes of Historic Interest. Historic England Research Report 42/2017|url=https://research.historicengland.org.uk/Report.aspx?i=15634&ru=/Results.aspx?p=1&n=10&rn=42&ry=2017&ns=1|access-date=2020-06-16|website=research.historicengland.org.uk|archive-date=6 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506161432/https://research.historicengland.org.uk/Report.aspx?i=15634&ru=%2FResults.aspx%3Fp%3D1&n=10&rn=42&ry=2017&ns=1}}</ref> Courses are private, public, or municipally owned, and typically feature a [[pro shop]]. Many private courses are found at [[country clubs]].